She squinted at the sudden brightness around her, lowering her outstretched arm to shield her eyes a bit. She had awoken, damp and naked, in a small, dark space. Panic had set in quickly; she was awfully prone to panic, after all. She slammed her fists into whatever was enclosed around her, over and over, until suddenly she was bathed in light. It wasn't exactly a friendly light. It was harsh, and somehow cold. As her eyes started to adjust, she stood slowly, still squinting, but at least beginning to focus on what was around her. She could see nothing besides an endless white room, and the damp, broken eggshell she had apparently come out of.
She was suddenly very scared, even before she realized that she had no idea who she was.
Some time passed, in which she sat, knees pulled to her chest, inside that broken egg. She suddenly felt as if she were being watched. She glanced to her side, out of instinct. There was a simple looking outfit- white, resembling pajamas, she thought- lying on the ground. Surely they had not been there before. Shivering, but not from the cold, she pushed herself up and stood. She stepped carefully over the broken shell, making sure to avoid the broken pieces near her bare feet. She approached the clothes, and suddenly was consumed by the desire to wear them as soon as possible. She dressed quickly, more quickly than she had moved since she had broken apart the egg.
When she was dressed, she stood there, wondering what she was supposed to do. She knew she should probably start walking and figure out what was going on, but for some reason, she was fixed to that spot and that strange egg. She tucked her long hair behind her ear. It was then that she noticed her hair was pink- had it been pink before? Was that a normal hair color? She wasn't sure anymore. Somehow she knew that was silly, that she didn't even know what hair colors were 'normal.' She felt blank and mindless, but also full of so much emotion that she didn't understand.
"Turn, and face me, Meroko Yui."
She jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She felt like her heart should be hammering, but it was absent. Her eyes widened. There was too much to process. Her heart wasn't there, or at least wasn't beating. She didn't know who she was, or why she was here, or what that weird egg was, or who this strange, stern, long-haired man in front of her was. He faced her silently, seeming to let her think. When she had a moment, she realized he had called her 'Meroko.'
"Is… that my name?" She asked. Her voice sounded strange.
"It is. I am your master, Sheldan."
Again, she stared at him, uncomprehending. "…What do you mean, 'Master?'" She asked after a moment.
"I am the head of the Pediatrics Ward, where you will now be working, collecting the souls of children."
Meroko's absent heart stirred, although it still felt wrong. "Why would I collect the souls of children?!" She exclaimed. "Why would I want to do that?!" She drew back from Sheldan and his black robes. She felt something brush the back of her legs, and turned down to look at the remains of the shell she had broken out of. Her wrists hurt, and there was an ache where her heart should be. Her mind was swimming, and she had an overwhelming urge to run, but when she looked up, Sheldan was standing close in front of her, although she had not heard him move at all. Panic gripped her again as he stared her down.
"What you want means nothing. You, who committed suicide, have bound yourself to being a Shinigami for the rest of your existence. It is the price you pay."
"…Suicide?" Meroko whispered. She didn't remember that. She didn't remember anything.
"Yes. But, you will not be alone. Come, and I will take you to the Pediatrics ward. You will meet the others."
At this point, Meroko was starting to become tired. She knew that was silly to feel, considering it was dawning on her that she must be dead. Still, she did not feel like she could ask any more questions. She was too exhausted to find out the answers. She nodded slowly, looking down. A moment passed. She hadn't moved at all, but when she looked up, she was somewhere completely different. There was no more burning, pure light. There was no more odd egg that seemed to keep her chained. Instead, there was a castle. It was dark and foreboding. Sheldan stepped towards it wordlessly, and Meroko followed, wondering if she was going to wake up from this awful dream that seemed all too real.
The next moments passed like a blur- a surreal, confusing blur. She was led through the castle to the Pediatrics ward, as Sheldan called it, where suddenly the dark aura surrounding everything seemed to dissipate. If she hadn't known better, Meroko would've thought that she was at a pediatrician's office. There were waiting rooms and endless halls to office after office. There were secretaries, but there were no doctors, and no children. There were only people- or perhaps, Shinigami- all with strange outfits. The strangest part, however, were their animal ears, tails, and wings. She was shuffled about, and Sheldan- "The Boss," as everyone else called him, disappeared. She checked in at the desk, where a "secretary" with small, otter-like ears took her name and assigned her a Shinigami number. Meroko almost laughed when she thought that it was like an employee ID. The whole thing was so preposterous that she wanted to laugh.
She did start to feel better as the secretary helped her in a cheerful way. She talked to her and comforted her- "Oh, I'm sure this is all so strange, but it will be okay!" Before she sent her off to find her dormitory, she fitted Meroko with wings, rabbit ears, and a small, fluffy rabbit tail.
"What are these for?" Meroko asked.
The secretary smiled. "Like the boss told you, you will be collecting the souls of children. You'll eventually grow your own wings, tail, and ears, when you become a full adult Shinigami, but until then, you will have these. It's easier for the children to trust you when they see an animal. They won't be scared."
If Meroko's rabbit ears had been real, they would have reflected her dismay. Would she really have to take the lives of children?
"I know what you're thinking." The secretary said, a sweet smile on her face as she adjusted Meroko's replica wings. "But you won't be killing these children. They are fated to die. You are just a guide, so that their soul makes it to heaven."
"Heaven sounds nice." Meroko said, before clapping a hand to her mouth. She felt at ease around her, but she wasn't sure she should've dropped her guard like that. She had no idea what was right or wrong to say, or if she was allowed to speak freely. She realized she was playing by a whole new set of rules, and she wasn't sure what the consequences were.
The otter-secretary smiled sadly. "Heaven isn't an option for Shinigami, stained with the sin of suicide."
With those words heavy in her rabbit heart, Meroko made her way to the underworld dormitory she was assigned to, which she supposed would be her home for eternity.